Working with the Tools Menu of Microsoft Office Excel 2003

Tools Menu in MS Excel 2003

The tools menu have got some useful commands that can be used to modify your excel data to your liking. I have listed the commands here and how to use them:

Spelling and Research Tools in Excel 2003

Spelling – this is the first tool you will encounter, it is for spell checking your Excel work. Once selected, it brings up a dialog box just like that of Microsoft word where by you will be able to spell check your active worksheet comprehensively.

Research – use this command for searching for information online and from multiple sources from within your Excel program.

Shared workspace – this is a reserved area on a server where several users can share their documents and information and be able to track changes as they are made.

Spelling and Grammar Check in Microsoft Office Excel

The spelling and grammar check in Microsoft Office Excel | Source

Share Workbook in MS Excel 2003

Share workbook – this tool can be used by a number of users on a network to work on a shared file that they will be be able to follow up at the same time.

Track changes – you can use this tool to track the recently made changes in your workbook and then accepting or rejecting those changes.

Compare and merge workbooks – this tool is useful for comparing and merging workbooks together.

Goal Seek in Excel 2003

Goal seek | Source

Data Protection in Excel 2003

Protection – this command is useful for applying various levels of protection to control who can access and change your Excel data. You can protect the whole worksheet, allow users to edit ranges, protect workbook, and protect shared workbook.

Online collaboration – this tool is used when one is online where you want to meet with other users who are at different parts of the globe in real time. Some of the things you can achieve together with the other users are sharing of documents and programs, you can text each other using chat facilities, and exchange files.

Goal Seek in Excel 2003

Goal seek – this command is used to determine the input value a formula needs when you know the expected results. The value that will be found by the goal seek will be able to deliver the results you want.

Scenarios – A scenario is a set of values that Microsoft Excel saves and can substitute automatically in your worksheet. You can use scenarios to forecast the outcome of a worksheet model. You can create and save different groups of values on a worksheet and then switch to any of these new scenarios to view different results.

Options Command in Excel 2003

Options command | Source

Formula Auditing in Excel 2003

Formula auditing – this command works with formulas only. You can use it to: Trace precedents, trace dependents, trace error, remove all arrows, evaluate formula, show watch window, formula auditing mode, and show formula auditing toolbar.

Macro – macros are used to perform a task repeatedly in Microsoft Excel. You can automate the task with a macro. A macro is a series of commands and functions that are stored in a Microsoft Visual Basic module and can be run whenever you need to perform the task.

More Commands on Tools Menu of Microsoft Office Excel 2003

Add-ins – Add-ins are programs that add optional commands and features to Microsoft Excel.

Autocorrect options – this command is used to set autocorrect options, auto format as you type, and smart tags.

Customize – this tool is used to customize features like toolbars, commands, and options.

Options – this tool is used to set various options like colour, international, save, error checking, spelling, security among others options. For instance, if you want to secure your workbook with a password, you go to tools > options > security. Then you supply the password to open and perharps the password to modify if you wish. Save changes and close your workbook, on opening again, it will ask you to supply a password to open.

In Conclusion;

To master these tools will require a lot of practice. Some you will not need, ohers you will require often as you work with Microsoft Office Excel.